New Opportunities for Procurement Professionals

Going Beyond Jack of All Trades

The White House-driven category management initiative offers important new opportunities for procurement professionals.

For the first time, for example, they have a chance to specialize in and master specific categories of spending, in addition to being jack-of-all-trade buyers. Category management of more than $270 billion in annual spending on commonly purchased goods and services requires skills not yet gathered in any existing federal position description, nor taught in federal procurement training institutions.

More than ever, the procurement corps has an opportunity to deepen its relationship with the programs accomplishing the true business of government — its missions. More than ever, government buyers are expected to deeply understand their markets and suppliers.

The category team structure — the central organizing principle for the 10 types of common government-wide purchases — opens an array of potential new positions for team members in: